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Hundreds gather at Mass to celebrate the canonization of Pope John XXIII

Photo by Bruce A. Scruton/New Jersey Herald - The Most Rev. Arthur J. Serratelli, bishop of the Paterson Diocese, presents his homily during a Mass celebrating the canonization of Pope John XXIII, seen in the portrait.

Posted: Apr. 27, 2014 10:59 pm Updated: May. 1, 2014 12:59 am

By BRUCE A. SCRUTON

bscruton@njherald.com

SPARTA — A few hours after Pope John XXIII was canonized as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church, more than 400 people gathered at his namesake high school to celebrate the late pope’s elevation to sainthood.

Co-celebrating the Mass were the Most Rev. Arthur J. Serratelli, bishop of the Paterson Diocese, the Most Rev. Frank J. Rodimer, bishop emeritus of the Paterson Diocese, and the diocese’s Vicar General, Rev. Monsignor James Mahoney.

In his homily, the bishop spoke of Pope John as a humble man with a sense of humor and a sense of humanity, and who spoke easily of his humble beginnings and his “not so-good looks.”

“He once said there were three ways for an Italian to lose money,” the bishop joked. “Women, gambling and farming. My family chose the slower path.”

In Rome, John XXIII, who was pope from October 1958 to June 1963, and John Paul II, pope from October 1978 to April 2005, were canonized, the first time two former popes were elevated to sainthood at the same time.

It was also the first time in history that two popes, Pope Francis and Pope Emeritus Benedict, celebrated Mass together in the two millennia of the church’s history.

John is considered a hero church into the modern era by allowing Mass to be celebrated in local languages rather than Latin and encouraged greater dialogue with people of other faiths, particularly Jews.

In fact, Sunday’s service in Sparta heard no Latin and many of the parts of the Mass were sung by either the Pope John High School choir, a soloist or the entire congregation.

During his quarter-century papacy, John Paul II became a world-traveler and helped topple communism and invigorated a new generation of Catholics, all while defending core church teachings, such as on abortion and marriage.

Benedict was one of John Paul’s closest confidantes and went on to preside over a deeply tradition-minded eight-year papacy until his retirement last year.

His successor Francis seems a pope much more inspired by the pastoral, simple style of the “good pope” John.

Francis praised each new saint in his homily, saying John had allowed himself to be led by God to call the council, and hailing John Paul’s focus on the family.

It’s an issue that Francis has asked the church as a whole to take up for discussion with a two-year debate starting this fall.

Pope John High School president, the Rev. Monsignor Kiernan McHugh, has said the high school will not change its name because of sainthood.

In fact, the school was founded in 1956 under the name of Our Lady of the Lake Regional High School, and in his remarks after Mass, McHugh said many of the students from that time still call themselves “Lakers.”

In 1965, after graduation ceremonies, the name of the school was changed to Pope John. From a first freshman class of 36 students, the school now has a student body of nearly 1,000 and is the only Catholic high school in Sussex County.